With Volkswagen acquiring Porsche instead of it being the other way round, where does that leave all brands involved and how will this effect the products in the future and ultimately the competition.

The latest talk is Porsche releasing the Panamera and 997 platforms to the rest of the group, we know that Audi and Porsche have had ties in the past and will probably be the most likely pairing but to what level?

Why would VW ever axe the highly profitable Cayenne? I don't particularly like it but it's not like the Cayenne really competes with any other model in the VW Group and from what I hear the margins are outrageously good. Does VW have a problem with making money?

The Cayenne was never on the cards of being dropped, though the Panamera's platform needs to be used in bigger quantities to be profittable. Volkswagen are probably the best company of all to get the best value out of a platform but with Porsche developed products they will have to pick and chose wisely, otherwise they will down grade Porsche themselves.

I see Porsche working very closely with Bentley, Audi and possibly to a least extent Lamborghini. I only hope that Porsche don't do a hatchback of something, the smallest car they need do is a sportscar but other than that a 5 series size should be the minimum.

Porsche will launch V6 petrol and V6 diesel versions of the Panamera towards the end of next year. It’s unlikely that either model will get four-wheel drive since these versions are designed to be cheaper, entry-level models and, in the case of the diesel, pretty frugal.

With the next-generation Cayenne also not far from the showroom, there’s a good chance that these engines will be updated, if not significantly re-engineered, versions of the units seen in today’s Cayenne.

The Panamera petrol and diesel V6s will make the car far more affordable than the V8s, but this doesn’t mean they will be all that cheap. In the Cayenne, swapping from eight to six cylinders saves about £10,000. If the Panamera follows that pattern, it would mean a starting price of just over £60,000.
New Cayenne - 2010

Next year’s Cayenne will have a much more curvaceous and fluid exterior, to bring it further into line with the design language used on the 911. The bonnet is 911-shaped, tapering to a narrow opening between the redesigned headlights. Wrap-around lozenge-shaped tail lights also give the Cayenne a hint of 911 at the rear. Under the skin, the biggest changes will be the reworked direct-injection V8 engines first seen in the Panamera.

Cayenne Hybrid - 2011

Porsche is in desperate need of a hybrid for the Cayenne range, and although this model was signed off last year, it is not expected to go on sale until 2011. The company says the car will use a “full parallel hybrid system”, and there will be the option of running the vehicle for a short distance in ‘zero emissions’ mode. Porsche is claiming economy improvements of up to 30 per cent, and impressive performance when both the engine and electric motor are propelling the Cayenne.

Panamera Hybrid - 2011

The Panamera hybrid will be one of the most important versions of the super-saloon, but it won’t be cheap. Porsche can use the same sophisticated transmission in the Panamera as it does in the Cayenne hybrid (which combines an automatic ’box and electric motors), but the installation will be quite different.

The Panamera hybrid is unlikely to have four-wheel drive. This is partly for reasons of economy, but also because it has a very different four-wheel drive system from the big SUV. The 4WD Panamera not only uses a Haldex clutch mounted on the rear of the transmission housing, but also directs power forward to a driveshaft system that runs through the engine’s sump.

Although a V8 hybrid might be more appealing to the US, a more efficient V6 hybrid would suit Europe better.

New 911 - 2012

The next Porsche 911, due in summer 2012, will be an all-new model. Porsche is not prepared to take any revolutionary steps with the styling, so while it might look similar to the current 911 don’t be fooled; nearly every panel on this 911 coupé and cabrio will be new. The car will be slightly longer (almost 4500mm across the range) and wider (around 1860mm on the base Carrera and 25mm extra on the Turbo). These alterations are down to a modified steel floorpan, which has a wheelbase extended by 50mm to 2400mm, and new suspension.

Rockster/ Small SUV - 2013

A few years ago, Porsche was seriously investigating building a small SUV to slot in below the Cayenne. One of the full-sized concept models was a three-door “off-road coupe” that had strong 911 styling cues.

Autocar had the design study confirmed by one of highest-ranking Porsche bosses, although he would not comment on the position of the engine, mainly because the styling had strong mid-engine overtones.

However, it has subsequently come to light that Porsche’s engineering arm was working on the body engineering of the new Audi Q5 SUV. It’s likely that this was the donor car, but co-operation is said to have been pulled by the then-Audi boss, Martin Winterkorn.

Latest reports say that now Porsche is part of VW, and VW is headed by Winterkorn, the Q5 could be used as the basis for a baby Cayenne.

Just as the new 356 could allow the Boxster to move upmarket, so the arrival of a Porsche Rockster small SUV could allow the Cayenne to do the same and make the big SUV more profitable.

928 cabrio and coupe - 2013

Having put a substantial amount of money into the almost entirely all-new Panamera model, Porsche will be keen to recoup some of its costs. The best way to do this would be a coupé and a cabrio to take on cars like the Bentley Continental GT and Maserati GranTurismo/GranCabrio. One senior company source has already told Autocar that a large three-door, in the spirit of the 928, would be a “very nice” addition to the line-up, although nothing has been signed off. In any case, it is understood that a cabrio version would be first to arrive, in 2013.

If Porsches are good, more Porsches are better, especially if it means Stuttgart's model range will expand downward. Rumors are swirling that Porsche is working on its own version of Volkswagen's Golf/Rabbit, which may be an opening salvo in a Porsche assault on BMW's slice of the pie with its 1 Series. An über-bunny above the R32 is certainly appealing, but we hope the styling smoothes some from from the melty rendering. There's potential there, but it could turn ugly fast like the Panamera four-door "coupe". Auto Bild is usually pretty close to the mark, however, so it wouldn't be surprising to see this very vehicle sometime around 2012. We're going to guess that most people will just see its taillights.

Bringing the 928 back would be cool, the rendering looks great.
There is also the smaller convertible to slide under the Boxster using the Golf/A3 platform.

Designers are going to lean into each others lines no matter. I mean how many "new" designs are really left to be had. Sure they could flail out some monstrosity and be different but no one will buy it...well, a few would.

Designers are going to lean into each others lines no matter. I mean how many "new" designs are really left to be had. Sure they could flail out some monstrosity and be different but no one will buy it...well, a few would.

I agree completely with you here, there's only reworks of designed gone by. If it did end up looking like this then I would possibly consider a V8 model.